1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cyclone dust-collecting apparatus of a vacuum cleaner, and more particularly, to a cyclone dust-collecting apparatus having an improved opening/closing structure and having dust-collecting chambers at both sides thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a cyclone dust-collecting apparatus separates and collects dirt from dirt-laden air by using a centrifugal force and discharges cleaned air to the outside. Such a cyclone dust-collecting apparatus is usually employed in a vacuum cleaner for domestic use.
FIG. 1 is a cross-section view showing an example of a vacuum cleaner employing a general cyclone dust-collecting apparatus. With reference to FIG. 1, the conventional cyclone dust-collecting apparatus and operations thereof will be described below.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a dust-collecting chamber 2 is partitioned off from a cleaner body 1 by a partition 3 disposed inside the cleaner body 1. In the dust-collecting chamber 2 is uprightly disposed a cyclone body 11 of a cylinder shape. A suction channel 12 is disposed at a side of an upper circumference of the cyclone body 11 so that, once air and dirt are drawn into the cleaner body 1 through a flexible hose 5 by a suction force generated by driving a motor (not shown), such drawn air and dirt are flown into the cyclone body 11 in a tangential direction.
An air discharge channel 13 is disposed on an upper center portion of the cyclone body 11, for upwardly discharging dirt-removed air out of the cyclone body 11. A dirt discharge channel 14 is disposed in a lower center portion of the cyclone body 11, for downwardly discharging the dirt separated from the air drawn into the cyclone body 11.
The dirt discharge channel 14 is connected to a dust-collecting chamber 15 disposed right under the cyclone body 11, for collecting the dirt discharged through the dirt discharge channel 14.
The operations of the cyclone dust-collecting apparatus with the above-described construction will be described below.
As the cyclone dust-collecting apparatus is operated, the motor (not shown) is operated to generate a suction force inside the cyclone body 11. Due to the suction force, dirt is drawn into the cyclone body 11 together with the air through the suction channel 12.
The dirt-laden air drawn into the cyclone body 11 through the suction channel 12 in the tangential direction swirls along an inner wall of the cyclone body 11, thereby generating a centrifugal force.
At this time, since a relatively light air is less subjected to the centrifugal force, it gathers in a central portion of the cyclone body 11, thereby generating a cyclone and forming a flow (a discharge air current) to the air discharge channel 13, so that the air is discharged through the air discharge channel 13.
Meanwhile, dirt which is relatively heavier than the air is more subjected to the centrifugal force, and thus flows along the inner wall of the cyclone body 11 and is collected in the dust-collecting chamber 15 disposed under the dirt discharge channel 14. When the dirt is collected in the dust-collecting chamber 15 more than a predetermined level, a user separates the dust-collecting chamber 15 from the cleaner body 1, empties it, and then re-connects the dust-collecting chamber 15 to the cleaner body 1.
However, the cyclone dust-collecting apparatus with the conventional construction has disadvantages as follows.
First, the dust-collecting chamber 15 must be disposed right under a conical portion of the cyclone body 11.
Accordingly, in case of employing the dust-collecting apparatus in a vacuum cleaner, it is impossible for a user to separate only the dust-collecting chamber 15 from the cyclone body 11 without removing the cyclone body 11 when he/she wishes to empty the dust-collecting chamber 15. Therefore, the vacuum cleaner is inconvenient to use and has a problem in maintenance.
Especially, in case of employing the cyclone dust-collecting apparatus in a canister type vacuum cleaner, since the dust-collecting chamber 15 is disposed right under the cyclone body 11, the cyclone body 11 is firstly required to be separated from the body 1 prior to separating the dust-collecting chamber 15 from the cyclone body 11.
Another disadvantage of the conventional cyclone dust-collecting apparatus is that, due to the height of the dust-collecting apparatus, the total height of a cleaner increase, and it is even worse when the dust-collecting apparatus is employed in a canister type vacuum cleaner or an upright type vacuum cleaner. As a result, it is difficult to realize a compact-sized product.